Joint India-Us Satellite Eyes Natural Disasters

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An unprecedented joint satellite project between the Indian Space Research Organisation and NASA is giving researchers the hope of better studying the Earth's climate and helping improve responses to natural disasters by monitoring the most subtle changes on Earth, including in its glaciers and wetlands.

The satellite is known as NISAR, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission. Its launch aboard an ISRO spacecraft on the 30th of July from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre sent it on its mission to send microwaves to collect data from different surfaces on the planet. When processed, the data will be visible in an exceptionally high resolution. An estimated 80 terabytes of data will be collected daily. Scientists have said that the method has "unprecedented accuracy."   Researchers and governments around the world will be able to view the data via a cloud platform where they will have open access.

Two WW2-Era Code-Related Events - One For Navajo Code Talkers, Another For Enigma Machine

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Two WW2-Era Code-Related Events - One For Navajo Code Talkers, Another For Enigma Machine

There was a time when US history lessons did not contain any mention of the Navajo Code Talkers because the presence of these brave Marines was still considered classified information by the US government. All of that changed – and now for many years the 14th of August has been designated as Navajo Code Talkers Day. A group of proud amateur radio operators are taking several days to honour this special unit of brave Marines who served in the US military during the Second World War.

Few of these hams could be prouder than Herb Goodluck N7HG, whose late father, John V. Goodluck, had been one of the Marines who used their own Navajo language to craft a wartime code that could not be broken.

Herb will be among those calling QRZ from the 10th to the 15th, using the callsign N7C. Operators will be using CW, phone and FT-8. Additional details, including operating frequencies, can be found on QRZ.com

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Pakistan Hikes Radio-Related Fees

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Calling its existing fee structure outdated, Pakistan's government has approved its first change to the fee structure for radio-based services in 25 years. More than 1,100 licence holders, including amateur radio operators and private radio networks, are being affected by a fee hike. According to media reports, fees remained unchanged until now despite Pakistan's inflation rising by more than 700 per cent.

Pakistan's amateur licence is initially issued for one year but can be renewed for five years afterwards. The fee is increasing from 450 rupees to 5,000 rupees - or, in US currency, from $1.60 to $18 for the term of the licence (5 years).

The change was approved in late July by the Economic Coordination Committee. The ECC acted after being told by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority that fees no longer cover the expenses for managing licenses and overseeing the use of the spectrum.